Morocco, France renew rivalry as World Cup quarter-finals begin
Morocco and France kick off the World Cup quarter-finals in a rematch of their 2022 semi-final, with the Atlas Lions seeking another historic run.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup enters its decisive stage on Thursday with Morocco and France renewing their growing rivalry in the first of four quarter-final fixtures across North America. The clash is a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, where France ended Morocco’s historic run with a 2-0 victory before going on to reach the final.
This time, the Atlas Lions return with another opportunity to make history after becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in back-to-back tournaments. Morocco booked their place in the last eight with an impressive 3-0 victory over Canada, while France edged Paraguay 1-0 thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s second-half penalty, maintaining their perfect record in the tournament.
France and Morocco have met six times at the senior international level, but only one of those meetings has come at the World Cup. Their previous encounters have largely been friendlies, making Thursday’s contest only the second meeting between the sides on football’s biggest stage.
Morocco’s remarkable consistency has been one of the stories of the tournament. The Atlas Lions have extended their unbeaten run in normal time to 34 matches after defeating Canada. They remain Africa’s sole representative at this World Cup following Egypt’s elimination in the Round of 16.
France arrives as one of the favourites for the title. Didier Deschamps’ side is the only remaining team to have won all five of their matches inside 90 minutes and to have scored 14 goals, with Mbappé leading their attack.
The France-Morocco showdown opens an intriguing quarter-final programme that also features Spain against Belgium, Norway against England, and defending champions Argentina against Switzerland. Even before kickoff, this year’s last eight has already produced several milestones. For the first time in World Cup history, neither Brazil nor Germany reached the quarter-finals, while Norway have advanced to this stage for the first time. Four nations, Morocco, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland, are still chasing a maiden World Cup title.
For Nigerian football fans, Morocco’s run is a source of both pride and frustration. Pride that an African nation is carrying the continent’s flag on the biggest stage. Frustration that Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, failed to qualify and is watching from home. The 2026 World Cup is a reminder of what could have been.
The winners: Morocco, which has already made history; African football, which has a standard-bearer; and football fans worldwide, who are witnessing a memorable tournament. The losers: Nigeria, which is absent from the biggest stage, and the Nigerian Football Federation, which must explain why Africa’s most populous nation cannot qualify.
Bottom Line: Morocco is flying Africa’s flag at the World Cup quarter-finals. Nigeria is watching from home. The contrast is painful.